Truth is the beginning of wisdom…

Quotes To Ponder

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse [money, bounty, assistance, gifts] from the public treasury.
- Alexis de Tocqueville

From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.
- Alexander Frazer Tytler

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Archive for the ‘War’ Category

A sword hangs over our heads. It is a real threat that has been all but ignored.

On Feb. 3, Iran launched a “communications satellite” into orbit. At this very moment, North Korea is threatening to do the same. The ability to launch an alleged communications satellite belies a far more frightening truth. A rocket that can carry a satellite into orbit also can drop a nuclear warhead over any location on the planet in less than 45 minutes. Far too many timid or uninformed sources maintain that a single launch of a missile poses no true threat to the United States, given our retaliatory power.

A reality check is in order and must be discussed in response to such an absurd claim: In fact, one small nuclear weapon, delivered by an ICBM can destroy the United States by maximizing the effect of the resultant electromagnetic pulse upon detonation.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a byproduct of detonating an atomic bomb above the Earth’s atmosphere. When a nuclear weapon is detonated in space, the gamma rays emitted trigger a massive electrical disturbance in the upper atmosphere. Moving at the speed of light, this overload will short out all electrical equipment, power grids and delicate electronics on the Earth’s surface. In fact, it would take only one to three weapons exploding above the continental United States to wipe out our entire grid and transportation network. It might take years to recover from, if ever.

This is not science fiction. If you doubt this, spend a short amount of time skimming the Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack from April 2008. You will come away sobered.

Even as the new administration plans to spend trillions on economic bailouts, it has announced plans to reduce funding and downgrade efforts for missile defense. Furthermore, the United States’ reluctance to invest in a modern and credible traditional nuclear deterrent is a serious concern. What good will a bailout be if there is no longer a nation to bail out?

Fifty years ago, it was not Sputnik itself that sent a dire chill of warning around the world; it was the capability of the rocket that launched Sputnik. The rocket that lofted Sputnik into orbit also could have served as an ICBM. Yet for all its rhetoric, the Soviet Union was essentially a rational power that recognized the threat of mutual destruction and thus never stepped to the edge.

The world is different today. Intercontinental range missiles tipped with nuclear weapons in the hands of leaders driven by fanaticism, leaders that support global terrorism, leaders that have made repeated threats that they will seek our annihilation . . . can now at last achieve that dream in a matter of minutes.

Those who claim that there is little to fear from Iran or North Korea because “at best” they will have only one or two nuclear weapons ignore the catastrophic level of threat we now face from just “a couple” of nuclear weapons.

Again: One to three missiles tipped with nuclear weapons and armed to detonate at a high altitude – to achieve the strongest EMP over the greatest area of the United States – would create an EMP “overlay” that triggers a continent-wide collapse of our entire electrical, transportation, and communications infrastructure.

Within weeks after such an attack, tens of millions of Americans would perish. The impact has been likened to a nationwide Hurricane Katrina. Some studies estimate that 90% of all Americans might very well die in the year after such an attack as our transportation, food distribution, communications, public safety, law enforcement, and medical infrastructures collapse.

We most likely would never recover from the blow.

Two things need to be done now and without delay:

1. Make clear in the strongest of terms that, if either Iran or North Korea launches a rocket on a trajectory headed toward the territory of the United States, we will shoot it down. The risk of not doing so is beyond acceptable. And if they construe this as an act of war, so be it, for they fired the first shot. The risk of sitting back for 30 minutes and praying it is not an EMP strike is beyond acceptable, beyond rational on our part.

2. Funding for EMP defense must be a top national priority. To downgrade or halt our missile defense program, which at last is becoming viable after 25 years of research, would be an action of criminal negligence.

Surely, with such a threat confronting us, a fair and open debate, with full public access and the setting aside of partisan politics, is in order. In the meantime, a policy must be stated today that we will indeed shoot down any missile aimed towards the United States that is fired by Iran or North Korea. America’s survival, your survival, and your family’s survival might very well depend on it.

Well, the high-sheen veneer and cult-of-personality euphoria surrounding America’s new oratory endowed president looks to be dissolving rather quickly. While millions had hoped for a political “messiah,” it’s fast becoming evident that, instead, we’ve stuck ourselves with an extreme leftist ideologue whose brand of “change we can believe in” is, in fact, “change we never imagined.” (Sorry to burst the Barack bandwagon bubble, but I say it like I see it.)

The examples are piling up in terms of the radical pro-abortion polices he’s planning to implement, the many-times-failed Marxist fiscal policies he’s promised to test yet again, and – relative to his national security goals – the noxiously naive peacenik policies that have Mahmoud and Osama giggling themselves to sleep at night.

But on issues involving marriage, family and sexual morality, Obama’s been even more brazen than some of his most ardent detractors could have expected. Literally within minutes after he took the oath of office, the official White House webpage was updated – under the heading of “The Agenda: Civil Rights” – to detail his wholesale “support for the LGBT (homosexual activist) community.” His stated plans include the following:

Defeating all state and federal constitutional efforts to defend the millennia-old definition of natural marriage from attacks by “gay marriage” activists.

Repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996. This is the only line of defense keeping all 50 states from being forced to recognize so-called “same-sex marriages” from extremely liberal states like Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy despite the fact that the vast majority of military commanders and personnel say it will dangerously disrupt unit cohesion and troop morale.

Passing constitutionally dubious and discriminatory “hate crimes” legislation, granting homosexuals and cross-dressers exclusive rights – denied other Americans – based on sexual behaviors that are deviant, changeable, and widely regarded both here and around the world as immoral.

Passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would force business owners (religious and otherwise) to abandon traditional values relative to sexual morality under penalty of law.

The gravity of this situation cannot be overstated. Right out of the chute, Obama has told the world that he is signing off, without exception, on every demand of the extremist homosexual and transsexual lobbies.

The radical homosexual agenda and religious/free-speech liberties cannot occupy the same space. It’s a zero-sum game. When 1-2 percent of the population is granted exclusive rights based on the aforementioned deviant sexual proclivities and changeable sexual behaviors – to the detriment of everyone else – that’s called tyranny of the minority.

Obama recently said, “I don’t want to pit Red America against Blue America. I want to be President of the United States of America.” Well, Mr. President, remember that whole actions versus words cliché? Your words ring hollow and your actions speak volumes. Every policy you promise to implement does exactly what you’ve denounced. Both your actions and your words very much pit Red America against Blue America.

For all the talk of “hope,” “change,” and “coming together,” it’s becoming abundantly clear that Barack Obama’s administration will be the most leftist, divisive and discriminatory in recent memory. I suspect the immediate, stark and in-your-face revisions he’s made to the White House website are a metaphor for what we can expect, in terms of broader policy, from his administration.

Obama said in an August 19, 2008 speech: “Change doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.” Well, radical change in the form of Barack Obama has certainly come to Washington. Not just in terms of the man’s skin color – which is historic and most encouraging – but in terms of his exceptionally extreme and demonstrably dangerous liberal policies (not so encouraging).

So it would seem that change does in fact “come from Washington.” Change more radical than our nation has ever seen. Change our founders could have never imagined.

People of faith, conservatives, and those of you with traditional values: hold on to your hats – it’s going to be a bumpy four years.

THE GAZA NAZIS
By Cal Thomas

Hamas, a group designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, are the Nazis of modern times. Israel is right to pound military targets inside Gaza, but much of the violence Israel brought on itself by giving up land it had to know would be used to reign down death on its civilians. That is always the pattern.

Why is anyone surprised that after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the vacuum created was quickly filled by Hamas, whose sole purpose is the destruction of the “Zionist entity,” as it likes to call Israel, and the killing of as many Jews as possible? The fiction, which is greater than a belief in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy, is that Israel, or the United States, or anyone else, can do anything that will deter Hamas from its objective. What did anyone expect when Israel pulled out of Gaza? The establishment of a Disney theme park, perhaps?

Jews are vermin and less than human, Hamas says. Oh, wait. Wasn’t the same said of the Jews by the Nazis? The only difference is that today’s killers don’t speak German.

The Year 2008 marked the 60th anniversary of Israel’s re-establishment in its ancient homeland. It also marked the 60th anniversary of the first violent response to the formation of the State of Israel. The violence hasn’t stopped despite the efforts of diplomats and politicians.

The incoming Obama administration has announced it will make a Middle East peace agreement a high priority. It might as well announce plans to defy gravity. Peace can only come once Israel’s enemies are defeated. No “infidel” diplomat is going to stop Palestinian schools from teaching a new generation of children to hate the Jews and to regard all of Israel as occupied Arab land.

Hamas and its terrorist cousins know how to play the public relations game. Most recently we saw it in Lebanon with Hezbollah, as we have seen it in so many other places. The terrorists operate within civilian areas so that when Israel strikes and unintentionally kills civilians, the bodies are paraded before Western media. In some cases, in order to embellish the drama, bodies have been planted in rubble, along with a child’s toy.

Most of the big media don’t focus on the occasional rocket attacks inside Israel; only on Israel’s attempts to stop them. So much of Western thinking continues along the delusional line that only “adjustments” by Israel have a chance of bringing peace by diminishing the passions of her enemies. If that were so, given all of Israel’s concessions, shouldn’t those passions have diminished by now and serious negotiations begun?

Instead, the more Israel concedes, the more violence it gets. At some point you would think people would say, “this isn’t working” and try another approach, such as striking back in a manner that would not simply stop the present threat, but persuade Hamas and the others that there is no benefit in their continued aggression.

Iran is behind Hamas, supplying it with rockets, some of which are made in Russia, and with other weapons. The goal of the Obama administration ought not to be “peace,” per se. Peace is like happiness: a byproduct of something else. Israel’s goal should be peace through strength. The U.S. should commit to building up Israel, militarily and diplomatically, as a deterrent to Israel’s enemies, many of whom also hate and wish to destroy America.

Israel already has given up too much. Every concession has been met with more war. It is time to finish the job. No more delays; no more cease-fires or truces, which merely allow Hamas now (and Hezbollah before) to dig new tunnels and smuggle in reinforcements and more weapons with which they kill more Israeli civilians.

Total victory or death should be Israel’s slogan and goal. It is the slogan and goal of Israel’s enemies. Is there an Arabic equivalent of “Seig (SIEG) Heil”?

The front-page headline in the USA Today says, “An enormous day” in Iraq. The front-page picture shows an Iraqi man lifting up his aged mother so she can cast her ballot.Yes, it was an enormous day, but not just for Iraq, but for all who love freedom. This was a proud day for America and all who have been supporting our troops, and our President’s resolve.

Already we are seeing a 180-degree shift in attitude from the major media outlets that all but condemned the war and the President’s push to bring freedom to the region.

According to USA Today, news anchors from NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN all described how the situation in Iraq has gotten better – not worse.

While most of the news focus is being put on the Iraqi people and their heroic efforts to vote, one cannot forget who the true heroes are – the ones who are truly responsible for making this day possible – the U.S. Armed Forces.

Yes we hear about the bad, the tragic death toll of our troops, the unfortunate torture of prisoners (whose perpetrators are being, and will be, dealt with severely for their actions) – but what about the good?

The troops have rebuilt the infrastructure of Iraq, including roads, sewers, schools and hospitals. They have trained armies, police and security forces all the while looking over their shoulders for the next suicide bomber. These are the true heroes of the day – the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line to usher in a new dawn of freedom in a faraway land.

We need to commend their efforts and those of our Commander-in-Chief who dared to dream an impossible dream.

The presidential inauguration is a moment that shows the world how freely elected governments work. But to my mind, the second inaugural address of George W. Bush was historic and memorable, for two major reasons.First, the president’s address focused on liberty and what it means to the world. This was the most idealistic and moralistic presidential message since Franklin Roosevelt summoned America to the heroic task of saving the world from tyranny in World War II. I know it cost other countries as well before and after they joined. This could very well be the reason that America is on the offensive and not on the defensive in these issues now, as they know their entrance into World War II should have happened sooner, and fewer lives would have been lost!

As President Bush was speaking, you could hear the words echoing Luke 4:18: “Proclaim liberty to the captives.” He talked about freeing the slaves of oppression. This was precisely the point made by John Kennedy in 1960 and the point made by the writers of the Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Building on that theme, President Bush correctly and eloquently said that there is no justice without freedom, no human rights without liberty. The very thoughts of John Wesley through which Orange Scott, Luther Lee, La Roy Sunderland, and Adam Crookes helped defeat and end slavery in America.

The speech was not only idealistic, it was also pragmatic. What Bush recognizes is that every attempt to paper over differences in the Middle East for the last fifty years has failed. The differences run too deep. So how can we help to solve the region’s problems? By the introduction, to its oppressed peoples, democracy and freedom. This is why troops are in harm’s way in Iraq – because if liberty and democracy come to that country, imperfect and dangerous though the process may be, Iraq can swing the balance of power in the Middle East toward democracy and freedom. This is why we must fervently pray for the success of this endeavour.

Second, the address marked an extraordinary moment for the conservative movement. President Bush is seizing the mantle of idealism from contemporary liberalism. In the twentieth century, the idea of spreading human liberty and defending human dignity was the cause of liberals, especially under Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy. At that point in time conservatism was primarily a reactionary political movement, unwilling to engage in bold, idealistic causes.

There has now been a complete role reversal. It is the conservatives who, led by President Bush, are summoning us to spread liberty, to free the slaves, to defend human dignity. This president is intent on shaping history, not impeding it. It’s the liberals who are reacting, unwilling to defend real liberty and freedom. For the most part the democrats are caught up promoting the very liberalism that is injuring America.

With this inspiring speech, President Bush has set America firmly on the course of pursuing liberty and justice throughout the world. I hope that all Americans, regardless of political party, are ready to respond to the president’s call to defend God’s gift of liberty for the oppressed. As President Bush phrased it, “Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself – and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.”